


The Wisdom of Snow

by l_grace_b



Series: Wynonna Earp Xmas Thing [2]
Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/F, Gen, WE Xmas Thing 2019, maybe a little Christmas angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2018-12-22
Packaged: 2019-09-25 04:49:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17114798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_grace_b/pseuds/l_grace_b
Summary: Snow is gentle, unforgiving. Light, and hard.Revealing. Deceptive.Separates. Connects.It falls heavy and light around a ramshackle house.It's an easy, routine homecoming for the two lovers. A kiss on the cheek--and then a real one to make up for the time spent apart--shedding of work clothes...A poppy song pulls Waverly from her task. She pulls Nicole along, too.Where you go, I go.And then, they're dancing.They're laughing because Waverly has rhythm and Nicole, God bless her, does not. There's stepping on toes and nearly tripping and giggling and pecks on the lips and love.





	The Wisdom of Snow

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ACalmHope28](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ACalmHope28/gifts).



> Three months ago, I asked @SerenaHope14 for a prompt.
> 
> She gave me three things: cookies, snow, Diana Panton's "The Christmas Waltz"
> 
> The rest was up to me. 
> 
> So, here's what I came up with.
> 
> Enjoy.

December blew into Purgatory cold and bitter, a drastic shift from the soggy November. The week before Christmas, a blizzard threatened every square mile of land the entire stretch of the Rockies. Snow came down for days in thick, light flakes, blanketing the town in five inches of snow.

Nedley sends them all home early that day, especially those who lived outside the town limits, where even the snow plows gave up, where it was easier to get around by snowmobile or even a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer.

Nicole rolls into the front yard of the Homestead, the bumper of her cruiser plowing a path up the drive. She parks next to Waverly's Jeep, which is already completely covered in snow. Nicole can barely get her door open.

The snow is already nearly level with the front porch by the time Nicole clambers up the stairs. She kicks excess snow off her boots and brushes snow off her jacket, watching cotton ball-sized flakes pile onto her cruiser. Her comically oblong and misshapen tracks are already filling back up with snow. Even out in the middle of nowhere, miles away from any light pollution of Purgatory, she can see downy flakes plummeting from the sky.

Any other day, Stepping into the house feels like a sanctuary. Tonight, it feels different as Nicole shuts the door behind her and sheds her jacket and boots. Christmas music drifts from somewhere on the far side of the house. The air smells of cinnamon and ginger and allspice.

_It feels like home._

Waverly doesn't notice Nicole coming into the house, nor her entrance into the kitchen. She's busy running a mixer, flour sprinkled over the floor, ingredients spread across the counter. Two full trays of dough balls are perched on the kitchen table. She sways her hips to the music.

"What'cha making, baby?"

Waverly flinches and turns around. She relaxes, and a smile spreads across her face as her eyes land on Nicole.

“Hey, you.”

"Hi."

"Hi."

Nicole saunters over to Waverly. She feels Waverly jump as she wraps her arms around her. Nicole nuzzles her nose against Waverly’s cheek. Waverly yelps, squirming out from Nicole's embrace.

"Hey! That's cold!" Waverly runs her hands up and down Nicole’s arms. “You’re _freezing_.”

Nicole laughs. “I know. That’s why I was hoping you could warm me up.” She peers over Waverly's shoulder. 

“Cookies?”

“ _Ginger_ cookies.”

“Because your girlfriend’s a redhead?”

“Noooo…” Waverly giggles. “They were my Uncle Curtis's favorite. He made them every year.”

"Mmmmm…" Nicole reaches behind Waverly and sticks a finger in the bowl of batter sitting on the counter, earning a playful protest from Waverly. She catches Nicole's wrist as she moves to stick her finger in her mouth.

"No eating raw dough!"

Nicole ducks in and plants a hasty, playful kiss on Waverly's nose, enough of a distraction to wrench her hand free and pops the bit of dough into her mouth.

"Hey! No fair!"

"All's fair in love, baby," Nicole smiles, licking her lips. "Batter's good."

"It'll be even better once it comes out of the oven," says Waverly pointedly.

"And, how much longer will that be?" Nicole peers behind Waverly, noting the expanse of her baking station.

"Fifteen minutes in the oven. Plus I have at least two more batches. But…I just need to put these in the oven and then I can...take a break.”

“Or…” Nicole steps closer, resting her hands on the counter, on either side of Waverly. “You could just take a break now…” 

Nicole relaxes the moment Waverly’s lips meet hers...they always feel like coming home...She wraps her arms around Waverly’s middle, pulling her closer. She feels Waverly smile.

Waverly pulls away, her arms still linked around Nicole’s neck. She brushes Nicole’s hair away from her face. "How was your day?" 

“Oh, the usual...Schedule went out for Santa pictures at the tree lot.”

“Nedley’s still playing Santa this year?”

“I guess so,” Nicole shrugs. "He's been locked in his office with guys from the county all day. When he came out he seemed…more tired than usual." Nicole’s brow furrows, and she shakes her head. “He’s going to work himself into a heart attack.”

“He’s lucky he has such a caring and hard-working deputy…” Waverly leans in and presses her lips to Nicole’s.

Nicole slides her hands along her waist, her fingers tingling as they make contact with the patch of bare skin. She runs her hands up Waverly’s back; she feels Waverly shiver.

Waverly’s hands find the top buttons of Nicole’s uniform and...

The timer on the oven buzzes.

Nicole curses under her breath, her head dropping onto Waverly’s shoulder. “It’s almost as bad as your sister.”

“Except I can actually turn _off_ the timer.”

Nicole still groans as Waverly pulls away. 

"Nicole…my cookies'll burn."

“Fine.” Nicole pouts, but pecks Waverly on the lips once more, giving her hand a squeeze. “Tend to your cookies. I’ll go change.” 

Nicole comes back downstairs a few minutes later in sweatpants and an old sweater and wool socks. 

Waverly is still engrossed in her work that she, again, doesn’t hear Nicole approach her. Nicole stops at the threshold of the kitchen.

She leans against the doorframe, watching Waverly work. She’s meticulous, yet relaxed. There’s an apron tied around her waist. Her hair is tied back in a simple ponytail, cascading down her back.

_You are a vision._

Without turning around, Waverly calls to her. "Instead of standing there pining like a sad puppy, you could actually help me."

Nicole was not a baker. She cooked, but burned even store-bought rolls of pre-made dough. Waverly could recite recipes by heart and could measure ingredients by sight.

_Together, they could throw a killer dinner party._

However, her favorite thing was working with Waverly, being close to her...even if it meant she could only wash the dishes.

_As long as you want me..._

The answer is easy.

Before she knows it, Nicole is at Waverly’s side. Softly, she replies "Okay. Tell me what I need to do."

They don’t talk much as they work through the remainder of the batter. The only sounds come from the clink of the spoon against the bowl of dough. Waverly scoops dough. She gives them to Nicole, who then rolls the lumps in sugar and puts them on the cookie sheet. 

_Scoop. Plop. Crunch. Scrape. Thud._

Music continues to drift into the kitchen. 

Waverly's playlist is filled with songs Nicole remembers hearing growing up. Waverly hums along to the slower songs, works with an extra bounce when the tempo picks up.

They bump elbows, trying to find some sort of rhythm.

Waverly sneaks in a few kisses to Nicole's cheek as she passes her a dough ball. Nicole feels her cheek flush every time it happens, like she's still in high school.

_(It's nice._

_Normal._

_Like they'd been doing this for years._

_Like they could do it for the rest of their lives.)_

_Scoop. Plop. Crunch. Scrape. Thud._

Waverly is sliding the last tray into the oven when the music changes. Soft, jazzy piano gives way to something more upbeat and poppy. When she closes the oven, she turns around to Nicole, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"Dance with me!"

"Waverly, you know I don't dance," Nicole groans.

Waverly ignores her and catches her by the hand, dragging her into the living room, closer to the source of the music.

The living room of the homestead looks like something out of a movie. The tree--full and towering in the corner--glitters with lights and tinsel. 

Nicole lands on the couch anyway, watching Waverly as she prances around the living room, lip-synching to the song. Joy radiates from her in every move that she makes, and Nicole can’t help but feel it, too.

_I have never loved anyone the way that I love you._

She hears her phone buzz. She holds a finger up to Waverly, mouthing “Just a sec”. She hoists herself up from the couch and ambles over to the coat rack. She rummages through her jacket. Her shoulders slump when she reads the name on the screen.

_Sheriff_

She grimaces and unlocks her phone.

"Hey, Sheriff…”

\----

_"Hey, Sheriff…Where’d you run off to?"_

Nicole purses her lips. Clenches her jaw. 

“Wynonna--”

_“I stopped by your office, and you weren’t there…”_

“I’m busy right now, Wynonna.”

The line goes quiet.

_"You're not out there again, are you? You know what? Don't even answer, I know you're out there. Don't move. I'm coming to get you."_

Nicole doesn't get a word in before the line cuts. She pockets her phone and exhales, her breath swirling in the cold air, a curtain between her and the stone fortress before her. Shakes her head, pushing away the daydreams. Wynonna's words echoed in her ears, loud and clear.

_"You're not out there again, are you?"_

She is standing at the foot of the staircase.

It's been six months since Waverly was taken into the Garden.

It took them weeks to find the staircase again, unable to pinpoint its exact location, no matter how many times they combed the woods.

Then, without much warning, the staircase appeared, as if had been in its proper location the whole time. But they still couldn't climb it. So, they've been standing watch.

Jeremy refused to go near it, so it’s only ever Nicole and Wynonna who trekked out here. 

Some nights they would just sit at the staircase, in the hopes of the gate opening up.

But they still needed to be there in case Waverly needed them.

They'd sit. Talk. Drink too much. Watch the staircase. Some nights they took to tossing pinecones at the barrier, just to see what would happen.

Nothing.

Nicole shuffles a few feet away from the perimeter of the forcefield, leaving icy footprints in her stead. Thirty yards from the staircase is a clump of trees and stumps canopied by thick fir boughs. She brushes snow off an old stump connected the base of a towering pine--her usual spot to sit. 

She leans back against the tree, settling in to watch.

And hope.

It starts to snow.

\----

Nicole returns to the living room, and she catches Waverly perched along the window. The music is off.

Outside, snow continued to dump relentlessly; if nothing, it was snowing harder. It looked like they were trapped in a snowglobe. Flakes swirled every which way.

“‘S really coming down out there,” Nicole comments, wrapping her arms around Waverly, resting her chin on the top of Waverly’s head. “Kinda pretty, though.”

“Sure is. I’m glad you made it out here before it got too bad.” Waverly leans into Nicole. “Who was that on the phone?”

"That was Nedley who called me."

"Anything wrong?" Waverly asks warily, looking up at Nicole. "You don't have to go back into work, do you?" Her shoulders droop. 

"Actually," says Nicole slyly, pulling Waverly away from the window, "he was calling to say that all the roads in and out of Purgatory are closed…and to not bother coming into work tomorrow.”

“Which means…" Waverly smiles, waggling her eyebrows.

"I’m not going anywhere because, Waverly Earp, you and I have a snow day tomorrow.”

Waverly jumps up and down, clapping her hands excitedly. Nicole can’t help but feel her heart lighten, too.

As much as she loves her job and serving the people of Purgatory, there’s something appealing about spending twenty-four hours of uninterrupted time with Waverly...

Waverly rambles on about mugs of cocoa with extra marshmallows and building blanket nests in front of the fire...

Nicole simply nods along.

Waverly dashes across the living room to turn the music back on. "Now, where were we?" She reaches for Nicole’s hands.

"I believe I was watching my girlfriend enjoy the music while I sit and definitely not dance." Nicole grabs Waverly’s hands, but still edges her way back toward the couch.

"Oh, come on, not even a little bit?"

Nicole scrunches up her face, ready to protest. But standing in front of her is her favorite person in the world, the lights from the tree catching the stray hairs falling around her face and...

_And she looks like a literal goddamn angel._

The playlist that had been so upbeat and cheerful changes to something slower, softer…

She locks eyes with Waverly, and something in her chest inflates, making it hard to breathe.

"Here…" Waverly takes Nicole's hand and guides her up from the couch. “Just follow my lead.”

_(If given the choice, she’d follow Waverly to the ends of the Earth and beyond…)_

She accidentally steps on Waverly's toes more than once. Her foot catches the rug, nearly sending the two of them toppling over. There’s laughter. They sneak in kisses that say _You’re doing great_ and _Keep going_.

_I’ve got you._

_I love you._

They fit. They always have. Nicole's hand resting against Waverly's hip. Waverly's hand resting at the nape of Nicole's neck. Fingers intertwined.

“You know, I’ve always dreamed of dancing with a girl to Christmas music.”

“And how’s it panning out for you?”

"It’s...nice. But I’m sorry I can't do more than sway back and forth,” Nicole says. Her voice is low, even though they’re the only two in the house. “Didn't teach that at the academy. And I just don't have rhythm."

"What, you didn't woo that gorgeous lady doctor with your dancing skills?"

"Believe it or not, there was more that went into Shae and I ending up in a chapel in Vegas at 4am. And it _wasn't_ because of my stellar dance moves."

"You're telling me that you aren't actually perfect?" 

The music shifts again and something changes. A combination of the music fading out and them taking a moment to catch a breath and their breathing slowing and the light of the fire catching Waverly's hair, reflecting shades of gold and amber and brown...

As if the falling snow created a dome, a barrier around them. Like nothing could hurt them anymore…

To stay here, for the rest of time...

No demons.

No vampires.

Just Waverly.

Just Nicole.

_“Nicole?”_

Nicole rests her forehead against Waverly’s.

"Hi."

"Hi." 

Waverly smiles, snaking her arms around the back of Nicole's neck.

The music slurs and they slow until they’re no longer dancing. They find each other. Hungry and fragile.

Waverly’s hands are running up and down Nicole’s chest, leaving a trail of electricity along her skin.

She can’t kiss her hard enough, caress her skin gently enough, do anything that would be enough...

"Bedroom…now…" Waverly mumbles against Nicole's neck.

Nicole barely hears her--blood is rushing in her ears--but she was making her way there anyway. She lifts Waverly off her feet, shuffling out of the living room.

_“Nicole?”_

They nearly fall over themselves trying to get upstairs while also refusing to break contact with one another.

_“Nicole?”_

Shirts and sweaters are discarded along the stairs in a flurry…

They almost don’t hear the timer go off…

_“Nicole!”_

 

\----

Nicole wakes up to a face full of snow.

Surprised by the hard, cold wake-up, she loses her balance, toppling off the stump.

She hits the ground, and her head snaps up, coughing and sputtering, reorienting herself with her surroundings. Her nostrils fill with aromas of pine and cedar and smoke and cold.

"Fell asleep, Haught,” she hears a voice call casually behind her.

It's darker. She doesn't know how long she's been asleep. It's at least been long enough for Wynonna to find her, build a substantial fire, and then wake Nicole up.

“The hell, Wynonna?” Nicole grumbles, brushing the snow off her face.

“Thought you were smart enough to not fall asleep when it's minus ten out here," Wynonna mumbles, tossing branches onto the top of the bonfire. Embers jump up to greet and mingle with the falling snow.

"Long day. Thought I could rest my eyes for a second," Nicole lies. She rights herself back on the stump and leans in to holds her hands up to the heat.

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that."

In the light of the fire, Nicole catches glimpses of Wynonna’s face. It’s even, but she can see traces of worry, of frustration.

Nicole sighs. "Told you not to follow me, Wynonna."

"Like I'm gonna leave you alone in the woods--these woods--for more than a minute." She sits down on the log next to Nicole. She gazes over the fire, into the dark. “So...What were you dreaming about?”

“I wasn’t dreaming.”

“Yeah, you were.”

"How could you tell?"

Wynonna shrugs. "You looked…happy. Figured you were probably dreaming. You can spare me the details."

“It was just Waverly and me. Again.”

“The snow one?”

“Yeah…”

The fire crackles before them, begging to be a part of their conversation.

“Ginger for the ginger?” Wynonna holds out a container of cookies—she procured from God-knows-where—to Nicole. “Baked them last night.”

Nicole absentmindedly takes one. She breaks off a piece and shoves it in her mouth. It crumbles. They taste fine, but the cookie still settles in her stomach like acid. She ends up tossing the rest into the fire.

“Hey!” She hears Wynonna protest. “They’re not _that_ bad!”

Nicole shakes her head slightly, watching the cookie dissolve and catch fire. “Waverly makes ‘em better.” 

Wynonna bites of a chunk of her cookie. She lets out a long exhale. “Yeah. I know,” she replies. 

“Waverly was going to teach me how to make them. Had to wait until Christmas, though.” The name trembles as it escapes. It’s become sacred, something to be spoken sparingly in hushed, reverent tones. Saying it twice in thirty seconds seems sacrilege. 

"Any change?"

"No," Nicole shakes her head.

"Same obstinate piece of biblical assholery?"

Nicole nods.

“She loved the snow…”

"Loves. The snow. _Loves_." Wynonna comments pointedly. "I told you we weren't saying things like that…"

Nicole doesn't hear her. Her chest is suddenly heavy and tight, like a stretched rubber band. Her eyes strain in the darkening light, fixated on the staircase. Maybe it’s the light of the fire, flickering and shimmering against the translucent forcefield…maybe it's something else…

Nicole reaches under her coat, extracting the chain hung around her neck. She holds the ring--Charlie’s ring--that Waverly gave her on their last day together...

She'd rather carry it with her--always thumping against her chest, nearly in time with her heart--than wear it on her finger, than have to explain that the person who gave it to her--the goddamn love of her life--is gone--maybe forever--in a place that really shouldn't exist but she's caught herself in the middle of a goddamn supernatural shitstorm…

“Sitting here watching that damn pile of stone isn't going to bring her back any faster, Nicole."

Nicole knows this. She’s known this since the moment they found the staircase again. 

“And yet here I am.”

Before them, the staircase looms, still untouched by the snow. In the time Nicole was asleep, three inches of snow had fallen, collecting in heaps everywhere except the stairs. If it didn’t symbolize the greatest loss she’d ever experienced...it’d look kind of beautiful.

She yanks the chain off her neck. WIthout thinking, she pulls her arm back, as she once did when she believed it belonged to Bulshar. It's stopped mid-throw.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Wynonna catches her arm.

Nicole wrenches her hand from Wynonna's grip. "I'm getting rid of this _damn. Ring_."

“No, you’re _not_ ,” Wynonna swipes at Nicole, trying to grab the ring from her again. Nicole dodges her. “Waverly gave you that ring.”

“I know. I just...I can’t hold onto this anymore.”

“Then give it to me,” Wynonna holds out her hand.

“No. I never want to see this thing again.”

“It’s just gonna come back to you, anyway.”

“How do you know?” Nicole snaps at her. “You know as well as I do it’s not done a damn thing since Charlie died.”

_(They tried everything to get it to work. Spells. Dousing it with holy water. Jeremy even tried_

_When the stairs appeared again, some part of Nicole hoped that the ring would wake up, too, that it would be the key to get into the Garden._

_It lay dormant, the stone dull. The writing on the inside of the band even dissolved._

_Just another reminder that the love of her life was gone..._

_Piece of junk wouldn’t even burn her anymore…)_

“Come on, Haught. You’re cold. Probably gave yourself hypothermia sitting out here.” Wynonna takes a few heavy steps away from the fire, then stops when she realizes Nicole hasn’t followed her. “Nicole. Let’s go.”

"What the hell am I even doing here?" Nicole mumbles to herself. “I shouldn’t even be out here.”

“Yeah. I know,” Wynonna retorts. “Last one back to the truck has to pay the other’s tab at Shorty’s for a week.”

Nicole can’t hear Wynonna because suddenly something’s boiling in her chest, and her heart’s pounding so hard that blood is roaring in her ears. "I wish I’d never come here..." 

"I told you to stay out of the woods."

Nicole rounds on Wynonna. "TO PURGATORY, YOU ASSHOLE."

Wynonna gapes at her, Nicole’s screams reverberating through the trees. “What the hell are you talking about?”

The snow had stopped falling. 

“I can’t do this anymore, Wynonna…” She squeezes the ring tightly in her hand, the band pressing uncomfortably into her palm. She holds the ring out to Wynonna. “Here.”

“No.”

“Take the ring, Wynonna!” She shoves her fist at Wynonna’s chest. “I’m done.”

Wynonna’s eyes narrow. “Tell me you didn’t just make me drive all the way out here just to say you’re giving up on her. On us.”

“That’s not it.”

Wynonna's voice is low. "So, then what…you regret it? All of it?"

"No," Nicole says frustratedly, “That’s not what I meant--”

Wynonna shoves Nicole’s hand away. She continues without waiting for a response. 

“My daughter’s safe because of you. You regret that?” Wynonna’s voice is low.

“Stop it, Wynonna.” Nicole’s chest constricts. She clenches her fists tighter, maybe enough to finally crush the ring to dust.

“None of us have given up on you. You're stuck with us.” She pokes a finger into Nicole’s chest. “You could've easily just bled out when the Jack of Knives got us. Or let the Widow's poison kill you from the inside out.”

“I need to get out of here…” Nicole turns on her heel and marches away from Wynonna. Not even back toward her cruiser, parked in the opposite direction. Just...away. Snow crunches angrily under her boots.

_"You can't give up on her, Haught!"_

The rubber band inside Nicole’s chest finally snaps. She spins back around. Her vision narrows as she marches back to Wynonna. She grabs Wynonna by the collar of her jacket, nearly lifting her off the ground. "You think I'm giving up on her? You think I'll ever give up on her? Does coming out here and sitting at the bottom of those _fucking_ stairs, freezing my ass off, knowing damn well nothing will actually happen _look like giving up on her_?" She shoves Wynonna off of her. Wynonna stumbles backwards a few feet, kicking clumps of snow into the air.

_(This isn’t the first time they’ve fought--with words or their fists. Two weeks after Waverly was taken, Nicole threw the first punch. Wynonna sported a black eye for a week.)_

Nicole turns on her heel and plods back toward the stairs. Everything inside her is burning. She’s surprised she isn’t leaving a trail of melted snow behind her.

She’s at the bottom of the stairs again, her boots against the forcefield that protects the stairs from…

_Keeps the captured in the Garden._

She drops her hand holding the ring. It hangs loosely at her side. The chain slips through her fingers, and the ring falls to the ground.

_Plop._

"Haught…"

She kicks the barrier. Once. Twice. Harder, hoping that her humanness--a swift kick from a sturdy, government-issued snow boot--will somehow be enough to break through, to let her in.

_To let Waverly out._

_Thud._

"Haught!"

She kicks hard enough that the backswing is enough to throw her off balance a few times. She pounds it with her fists.

_"Haught!"_

Nevertheless, she persists.

This garbage supernatural barrier has to relent at some point, she thinks.

_"Nicole!"_

Finally, she steps back a few more feet and takes a run at it, ramming her shoulder into the forcefield.

It's worse than running into a brick wall, than the collision she got into when she was learning how to drive.

_It's almost as bad as when Wynonna told her that Waverly had been taken into the Garden._

She’s thrown backward, landing in a pile of snow and leaves. For the second time that night, she’s face-first in the snow.

_Crunch._

She rolls into her back, looking up at the dark canopy above her. She sees stars as her shoulder throbs. Snow soaks through her jacket.

And she cries. She cries because she’s tired of waiting at this damn staircase, knowing that nothing will happen. She cries because there’s an ache in her chest that hasn’t eased for six months.

_She cries because she’s so afraid she’ll never see Waverly again._

Her arm throbs, and hot tears leak down her face, stinging her cheeks in the cold. She pounds the ground because something, anything needs to also feel this pain.

_Thud._

_Thud._

_Scoop._

She’s still sobbing when Wynonna wordlessly appears at her side and helps her to her feet. She leans on Wynonna, who guides her back to the fire, to their posts.

Wynonna wraps a blanket around Nicole’s shoulders and lets her cry. They sit there until it’s completely dark, until the staircase disappears completely into the forest.

“I wish I could tell you why we don’t have her back yet, Haught. Believe me, there’s nothing I want more than being home and having to have to walk around the Homestead with earmuffs because you and my sister can’t keep it in your pants. I wish...that we could all be together.”

Wynonna’s voice is quiet and even. Nicole barely hears her over the snaps and pops of the fire that’s sprung to life again. She sniffles, but doesn’t respond.

“I want to be out here as much as you do. I'd rather be drinking Tequila Sunrises somewhere I can wear a bikini all day.” Wynonna sighs. “We have a job, Nicole. Even if the only thing we can do right now is wait.”

Nicole’s chests tightens again, this time Her voice cracks through unshed tears. “I’m so tired of waiting, Wynonna…”

“I know,” Wynonna leans against Nicole, resting her head on her shoulder. “I know there’s part of you that always thinks something’s gonna happen. It’s that noble belief of yours that good will always prevail. I think it’s why my sister loves you so much. But, you made me promise that I’d keep you from wasting your days out here unless we actually knew something would happen.”

_Snap. Crackle. Crunch. Pop._

“Nicole?”

“When I was a kid I used to imagine having a family to spend Christmas with…a real family that baked cookies and listen to Christmas music... _dance_ to that Christmas music with a pretty girl...”

“You sound like a Hallmark movie,” Wynonna interjects, nudging Nicole playfully.

“”S why you love me.” She shifts on the stump, and turns to face Wynonna. “And I can’t believe coming to Purgatory gave me as close to that reality as I could get...But, having your girlfriend stuck in another supernatural dimension kind of puts a damper on one’s Christmas plans.” She tries to laugh, but everything that comes out is nothing less than a watery exhale.

“I’m sorry, Wynonna. I just... _miss_ her.”

Wynonna wipes away the tears that trickle down Nicole’s cheeks. “I’m sorry, too. You don’t deserve to be out here in the cold, hoping—literally, just hoping—for something to happen and get my sister back. You deserve better than that.”

Wynonna reaches into her pocket. She pulls something out and holds it in her open palm.

“You dropped something.”

Nicole’s relieved when she sees the dark, glittery stone resting in Wynonna’s hand. 

“I don’t think it matters that this now as about as magical as one of those plastic rings I get out of a machine at the gas station. Or, who knows, it might decide to wake up again some day. Point is, Waverly gave that to you because she knew you’d come get her.”

_The point is that I love you._

Wynonna slips the chain over Nicole’s head. The ring settles against her chest, against her heart.

"She's waiting for us, too, Nicole."

Nicole holds the ring in her hand, the dark stone catching the light of the fire before her. She shoves it back under her shirt. Despite having been in the snow, it feels warm against her chest.

"We're gonna get her back, Haught. We're gonna get her back and you can make your dumb Christmas cookies and I'll even promise to stay outside a ten-mile radius of the homestead so you can have some fucking peace and quiet--”

"Wynonna…"

"…and then you two are gonna get married and live out the rest of your crazy unicorn fantasy _because you both deserve it and I'll be damned if I don't get to see my sister spend the rest of her days with the love of her life._ ”

Nicole barely hears the end of Wynonna’s speech because she’s launched herself at her, wrapping her arms tightly around her.

Wynonna manages to brace herself against the tree trunks, so as to not send the both of them tumbling into the snow. Nicole keeps her grip on Wynonna. After a few moments, Wynonna wraps her arms around Nicole, too.

In the middle of the forest, snow falling around them, the two women hold each other.

It feels like a promise.

_It’s a promise to keep going._

“You’re so annoyingly persistent,” Nicole mumbles, leaning away from Wynonna.

“It’s why you love me,” Wynonna smirks. She jerks her head behind her. “C’mon. Jeremy and Robin have Thai food at the homestead. Jeremy even hooked up a projector so we can marathon the Die Hard movies.”

“But that’s not a--”

“ _You_ can have that argument with Jeremy. I’m going to be in my chair, ignoring any and all family arguments, eating my dumplings.” 

Nicole shakes her head. For the first time in...she doesn’t know how long...she’s smiling.

Wynonna takes a few handfuls of snow and dumps them on their fire. Nicole gathers the blanket and grabs the container of cookies.

“Thanks for coming to get me.” She bumps her hip against Wynonna’s.

“I promised you. I’m not losing anyone else. Miles to go before we sleep and all that.”

“What?”

“Nevermind.”

Wynonna throws more snow onto the fire. 

“You think she knows it’s Christmas?” Nicole takes her flashlight from her belt and hands it to Wynonna.

“Your guess is as good as mine,” Wynonna replies, shaking her head. “For all we know, it could be one long, endless day in there. All the more reason to keep working to get our girl outta there.” She flicks on the flashlight and points it toward the path back to the main road. "But I told you that we'd get her back before Christmas, right?

Nicole sighs. "Tomorrow's Christmas Eve, Wynonna."

"So?

"So..." Nicole challenges.

"So…we've still got time. Season of miracles, right?"

"Now who's sounding like a Hallmark movie?" Nicole chuckles. She kicks one more clump of snow onto the smoking pile of ashes and branches. There’ll be no more forest fires on her watch...

Wynonna leads the way out of the clearing, already a few feet in front of Nicole. Nicole stops just as she’s about to leave the clearing.

“You comin’, Haught?” 

“Just a second,” she calls back. She peeks over her shoulder once more at the staircase. She whispers into the night, into the falling snow.

“Merry Christmas, Waverly.”

_Just in case._

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for tuning in for this year's Wynonna Earp Xmas Special!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading. Kudos and comments make me happy.
> 
>  
> 
> You can yell at me over on Twitter (@TeachEarp_) or tumblr (@emraldcitynerdfighter)
> 
>  
> 
> Here's the link to the playlist. Some of the songs included are on Waverly's mix. :
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/user/1266690898/playlist/3kSsRNqepGtG7F1ka4sAaX?si=FtRY5l_tTNusE40dceGnLg


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